DATE: July 21, 1998
MEMO TO: Council of the North
FROM: Jim Boyles, General Secretary
RE: Comments from Forums at General Synod
____________________________________________________
The following comments were recorded on newsprint and relate to the work of the Council of the North:
The Church in the North and the Church in the South
In what ways does the concept of "mutual responsibility and interdependence in the body of Christ" apply to the Anglican church of Canada's ministry in the North?
a) What contribution can Anglicans in the North make to the wider church?
b) What ways can the Canadian Church continue to support our ministry in the North?
* We need to share our lives together across North South boundaries ( which have served to isolate us) so that we may truly be one body.
share stories
Canadian Church partnerships
face failings
re-focus on Gospel
* Explore and learn from the way mission is done in the North and their understanding of community
* Willingness to participate in each others culture through interaction.
* "I am a member of all 30 dioceses." National prayer Cycle (Monthly and Sunday independent)
* Re-thinking Partnerships South and north dioceses and parishes. Putting a Human Face.
* Ministry to one another over:
Finances
* The North can teach the South about transparency in relationships (e.g. common standards in stipends and reporting).
The Church in the North and Aboriginal Peoples
The Council of the North dioceses have given special attention to our relationship with the Anglican Council of Indigenous People during the last triennium.
a) What further steps can be taken to enrich our partnership with aboriginal people, especially as we move in the direction of the Covenant and in other areas of mutual ministry?
b) How can the Canadian Council respond to the challenge of the Anglican Council of Indigenous People and the Council of the North to the spiritual and other needs of Aboriginal peoples living in large southern Canadian cities?
* A healthy Church requires a healthy community.
* Development of Companion Congregations.
* How can the Church facilitate urban native people connect with their own culture and language?
Find Diocesan models that work e.g. Diocese of Brandon model.
* Learn from one another through parish
The Church in the North and New Models of Ministry
For a variety of reasons, Northern ministry has had to examine new models of ministry, indigenization, and expressing the Gospel in different cultures.
a) Is there learning for the whole Canadian Church from these new expressions of ministry?
b) Are there other understandings of ministry we could learn from Northern partners?
* There are many ways to make decisions by combining both ideas in partnership.
* Southern Churches can learn -participation
-acceptance
-sharing
-companionship
* Leaders in any community must be recognized, called, supported and welcomed to serve in their own community;
* Circles work best for sharing building trust, listening to one another. One person speaks until they have finished speaking;
* Circles are for healing, for resolving conflict, for deciding on punishments, for giving;
* Consensus is better than voting;
* Non-stipendiary ministry is growing --people can be bi-vocational;
* We need to affirm gifts and share stories;
* We in the cities have much to learn from our Northern partners.
* Yes! The financial crises have opened the way for the Holy Spirit to raise up many and varied lay ministries.
* We are not as different as we might think.
We Recommend
1. When a new clergy person comes to a parish that a covenant be used wherein the people undertake to do specific ministry and the priest also commits to provide specific ministry.
2. The Team Ministry approach where a trained leader oversees other team members who bring their own gifts to the ministry. One does pastoral care, youth work, administration, etc.
We are Concerned
That the use of "part time" clergy is not a permanent solution for provision of ministry.
The Church in the North and Self-Sufficiency
One of the goals of our strategic plan for our National Church is to strengthen commitment of the whole church to domestic mission in partnership with the Council of the North and to work with the Council to move towards self-sufficiency.
a) What steps are being taken in the Council of the Northern dioceses to realize this goal?
b) What further steps can be taken to encourage increased stewardship education in Northern dioceses?
c) What is the relationship between being a missionary church and financial responsibility?
i. Reduction of funding to all Council Dioceses by 21%.
ii In some dioceses vigorous stewardship education has proven effective.
iii. Non stipendiaries
Conversion to the Church is important ;
Increased sense of ownership.
willingness to explore alternative models of ministry.